Saturday May 19, 1894

A wall letterbox was fixed near Observatory entrance by P.O. contractors.

William Christie, Astronomer Royal

RH says..... Christie presumably recorded this entry after he returned from Deal on the Sunday, as recorded on 17 May. See entry for 16 March for an image that just reveals the letter-box in situ.

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Those who worry about Christie's frequent absences from Greenwich may be interested to know that the RGO archives suggest that he did, sometimes at least, continue official correspondence from the coast. There is, for example, a letter he sent in 1888 to his then Chief Assistant, H.H. Turner, from Westgate on Sea about examining naval telescopes on behalf of the Admiralty. This letter also reports that "Neuralgia has bothered me the last two or three days...", a condition that may explain his April visit to Malvern, well known for its water cure and spa.